Articles By Samantha Baxter

The medaka culture facility at the USGS’ Columbia Environmental Research Center.

Fish Science and Species

Synthetic Pollutants Impact Fish Up To Three Generations Later

Two studies examine how synthetic pollutants impact fish populations for multiple generations following exposure.

  • Posted March 27, 2023
Two big barrel sponges (Xestospongia muta) perched on a slope near a dropoff in the Cayman Islands twilight zone

Fish Science and Species

Twilight Reefs and Forked Tails: How Species Adjust to the Dark

Though reefs may be thought of as a shallow water-exclusive habitat, reefs can be found throughout the ocean at various depths. Deep reefs, or more specifically, twilight reefs, as they have come to be commonly referred to, are reefs found in the twilight zone of the ocean. According to...

  • Posted March 20, 2023
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Adult zebrafish of AB strain. (Top) female and (bottom) male.

Fish Science and Species

Scientists Isolate Zebrafish Genes That Regenerate

Zebrafish are a popular choice when it comes to health-related research due to their unique regenerative abilities.

  • Posted March 13, 2023
Sixgill Hagfish

Fish Science and Species

Why Researchers Study Hagfish Slime

For some, hagfish are the embodiment of nightmares—however, for marine researchers, hagfish are an interesting creature to study.

  • Posted March 6, 2023
Eastern Brook Trout.

Fish Science and Species

Using eDNA To Estimate Fish Populations

Advancements in research have led to the implementation of Environmental DNA (eDNA) as a tool for assessing fish populations.

  • Posted February 27, 2023
Coho salmon smolts

Aquaculture

Large-Scale Habitat Restoration Proves Beneficial for Juvenile Coho Salmon

Focusing on coho salmon productivity, a 2014 study is among the first of its kind to evaluate restoration outcomes on a watershed scale.

  • Posted February 20, 2023

Aquaculture

How the International Game and Fish Association Protects the World’s Waters

The IGFA has spent decades working toward creating sustainable fishing policies and contributing massively to global conservation efforts

  • Posted February 13, 2023
Fish swimming in the Georgia aquarium

Fish Science and Species

To Be or Not To Be: How Researchers Name Fish Species

Species names are unique, and creating them is one of the most exciting parts of taxonomic research, despite the process being lesser known.

  • Posted February 1, 2023
Looking towards the city of Sacramento, the Yolo Bypass is pictured.

Aquaculture

Making California’s Yolo Bypass Salmon-Friendly

California is working hard to make the state's Yolo Bypass salmon-friendly by creating a 30,000-acre nursery in the surrounding floodplain.

  • Posted January 30, 2023
Muskellunge

Fish Science and Species

Michigan Muskies: Stocking Great Lakes Muskellunge 

The MDNR has dedicated years of work to rearing and stocking Great Lakes Muskellunge in specific waterways across Michigan.

  • Posted January 23, 2023
Empire Bluffs Trail view of Sleeping Bear Dunes

Fish Science and Species

Proposed Net-Pen Aquaculture Facilities in Michigan

Michigan rejects proposals to construct net-pen aquaculture facilities in the Michigan waters of the Great Lakes.

  • Posted January 16, 2023
Cheoah Dam

Fish Science and Species

Using Sensor Fish to Test Fish Ladders in Hydroelectric Dams

Sensor Fish can be deployed at hydroelectric dams to study the forces a juvenile salmon feels as it passes through hydropower facilities.

  • Posted January 11, 2023
Fish farm in Saronic Gulf

Aquaculture

How Fish Escape Aquaculture Facilities

Non-native fish escaping from aquaculture facilities has led to the introduction of invasive species in various environments, making management all the more essential.

  • Posted January 9, 2023
Rio Grande Bend near Boquillas Canyon (Big Bend National Park, TX)

Fish Science and Species

West Texas Shiners: A Case of Mistaken Identity

West Texas' seemingly inhospitable geography doesn’t mean it can’t support the discovery of a new fish species.

  • Posted January 4, 2023
Cisco being prepared for surgical implantation of an acoustic transmitter at the USGS Ann Arbor aquatic research laboratory.

Equipment

Acoustic Telemetry Tracking Technology in Lake Erie Walleye

It’s no surprise that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources uses acoustic telemetry to track their prized walleye stocks in Lake Erie.

  • Posted January 2, 2023
Bridge over Crooked River Gorge

Fish Science and Species

How Angler Satisfaction Impacts Fishery Management in Oregon

A large part of managing fisheries is keeping angler satisfaction in mind, as they are essential to ensuring the longevity of an environment.

  • Posted December 28, 2022
A BOFFFF shortraker rockfish

Fish Science and Species

Save the BOFFFFs: Scientists Find Big, Fat, Fertile Female Fish Key to Sustaining Fisheries

Scientists say that BOFFFFs, which stands for big, old, fat, fertile, female fish, are particularly valuable for long-term fishery health.

  • Posted December 21, 2022
Salvelinus alpinus (Arctic Char); a species of ray-finned fishes

Fish Science and Species

Fossils Inform Understanding Of Permian Period’s Ray-Finned Fishes

Just like their ancestors, many modern-day sexually dimorphic ray-finned fish share similar anatomical formations.

  • Posted December 19, 2022

Fish Science and Species

Intersex Bass Found In U.S. National Wildlife Refuges

Recent data on intersex bass frequencies show that wildlife refuges are negatively impacted by human influence, despite protections.

  • Posted December 14, 2022
a female cichlid

Fish Science and Species

Asexual Reproduction in Female Cichlids

While asexual reproduction in invertebrate species isn’t unheard of, it isn’t exceptionally common either. Instead, such behaviors are typically attributed to plants or a smaller list of animals, of which some have the capability to reproduce asexually or with a mate. Komodo dragons are one such example, as they...

  • Posted December 12, 2022